The present invention teaches a categorical indicator device which, upon command of the user, indicates various ones of the total types of merchandise in a row and column display.
In one embodiment of the invention, a separate categorical indicator is applied to the front of a row and column display rack. When any one of the several controls are operated, an indicator device adjacent one or more of the products in the display rack is energized. For purposes of illustration, the display device is assumed to be an electric lamp which is illuminated when energized and which distinguishes the product associated therewith from other products not associated with an illuminated lamp. As one concrete example of a current embodiment, a spice rack is chosen for purposes of description. It would be clear to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to spice racks, but can encompass any kind of display device in which a plurality of products are displayed in a row by column display case. In addition, the teaching of illuminated light bulbs as indicators should not be taken as limiting the invention. Instead, other types of indicators, such as mechanical annunciators, acoustic devices such as buzzer or bell may be substituted for the lamps without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
In a spice rack chosen for description, a number of command buttons are available to the user. When one of the command buttons is depressed, a plurality of indicators are illuminated to indicate the group of spices associated with the command button. As one example, which should not be considered limiting, a row of command buttons labelled with the names of countries, such as Italy, Germany, France, United States, Israel, Great Britain or Russia and Greece, may be available. Depressing one of these buttons, for example, Italy, illuminates all of the indicators adjacent to spices which are commonly used in Italian cooking. By pressing another button, such as France, illuminates a second subset of indicators adjacent spices commonly used in French cooking. A substantial overlap between the categories is unavoidable. Consequently, the apparatus must be capable of illuminating certain of the indicators from separate commands from two or more command buttons.
In a further development of the apparatus, the spices that are required in certain specific recipes may be indicated. For example, a command request for indication of the spices used in southern fried chicken, would illuminate the indicators adjacent to pepper, salt and paprika, whereas a command for chicken cacciatore would illuminate indicators for paprika, garlic powder, oregano, parsley flakes, bay leaf, salt and seasoned pepper.
In order to assist the purchaser in making a leisurely selection of the spices, a timer maintains the indicators illuminated for a fixed period of time after the command button is pressed. When a second command button is pressed before the end of the cycle of the preceding command button, the preceding cycle is immediately terminated and a new timing cycle is started for a newly selected group.
In one embodiment of the invention, a permanently wired memory, permanently relates specific command buttons to specific indicators in a display. In an alternative embodiment, a programmable digital computer, preferably a microprocessor, may be reprogrammed at the will of the user, to change the relationship between specific command requests and the subset of indicators energized. This is especially useful in merchandise displays which are subject to change from time to time. Such change may be reallocation of space and/or deletion or addition of displayed merchandise.
Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.